Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0A middle-of-the-road climate: Chesapeake Beach is close to most U.S. towns on every count
On a normal January night the air cools to about 27°. Seasons differ by 60°, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. In January, nights here are milder than in 69% of U.S. towns. Homes need heating from November to March, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Chesapeake Beach at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Chesapeake Beach’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Chesapeake Beach’s place in Maryland beside it.
What a year in Chesapeake Beach feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 195 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 17 and the first by October 27. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Mechanicsville 5 Ne, MD, 16 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Chesapeake Beach’s center in zone 8a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about 11°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 14 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Royal Oak 2 Ssw, MD, is heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 46 inches a year; September is the wettest month and February the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 118 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Chesapeake Beach
82% of the work is heating. Months averaging under 55° run from November through March.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Mechanicsville 5 Ne, MD.
Living with Chesapeake Beach’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
195 frost-free days in zone 8a. The last frost comes by Apr 17 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 27.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: April, May, June, September and October. 1.8 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Chesapeake Beach from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (37%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 18%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Chesapeake Beach and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Chesapeake Beach yet.
Climates most like Chesapeake Beach’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chesapeake Beach, MD | 27° | 87° | 46" | 14" |
| Vinton, VA | 27° | 88° | 45" | 15" |
| St. Albans, WV | 25° | 87° | 45" | 11" |
| Johnson City, TN | 27° | 87° | 46" | 9.2" |
| Henderson, KY | 25° | 88° | 48" | 12" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Chesapeake Beach averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in December (+2.4°).
A bigger shift than in 56% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Chesapeake Beach compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Chesapeake Beach’s place among Maryland’s.
Chesapeake Beach weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Chesapeake Beach’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Royal Oak 2 Ssw, MD. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 44° | 27° | 3.2" | 5.1" | 10 | 4 | 28° – 43° |
| February | 47° | 29° | 2.7" | 4.8" | 10 | 4 | 27° – 45° |
| March | 55° | 35° | 4.1" | 2.3" | 11 | 1 | 40° – 54° |
| April | 67° | 45° | 3.3" | 0.1" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 61° |
| May | 75° | 55° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 60° – 71° |
| June | 83° | 64° | 4.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| July | 87° | 69° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 73° – 82° |
| August | 86° | 68° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 72° – 80° |
| September | 79° | 61° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| October | 69° | 49° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 65° |
| November | 57° | 39° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 42° – 53° |
| December | 48° | 32° | 3.7" | 1.8" | 11 | 1 | 31° – 51° |
| Year | 66° | 48° | 45.8" | 14.1" | 118 | 9 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. December swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 31° to 51°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Chesapeake Beach’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Chesapeake Beach’s center.
- Snow: Royal Oak 2 Ssw, MD.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Mechanicsville 5 Ne, MD, 16 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Chesapeake Beach’s climate
What is the weather like in Chesapeake Beach?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 27°, and about 14 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Milder January nights than 69% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 64% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Chesapeake Beach in winter?
January nights average 27°. About 98 nights a year reach 32° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 28°.
How much snow does Chesapeake Beach get?
About 14 inches in a normal winter at Royal Oak 2 Ssw, MD, heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 9 days a year.
How hot does it get in Chesapeake Beach?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 69°. About 16 days a year reach 90° (Mechanicsville 5 Ne, MD).
When is the first and last frost in Chesapeake Beach?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 17 and the first fall frost by October 27, about 195 frost-free days, at Mechanicsville 5 Ne, MD.
What growing zone is Chesapeake Beach in?
Zone 8a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about 11°.
What is the best time of year to visit Chesapeake Beach?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), April, May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Chesapeake Beach getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 56% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Chesapeake Beach.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.